Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (pic heavy!)

[SpeedSouth]

I thought I'd share a little about a ride I took a few weekends back.

I joined a group of other riders from a local forum. We met up on the morning of the 7th, at about 8:45 am and prepared for the backroads ride towards Birmingham, and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum - http://www.barbermuseum.org/

We met up in Douglasville. It was chilly and foggy but the promise of a nice day was motivation for just under 20 people in all. 17 or 18 bikes, I think.



This was our first stop. Notice the Dan Gurney Alligator, which I posted pictures of here somewhere last year after laying eyes on it for the first time at a "bike night".



We found another one in the museum. How cool is that?


And that was across from the Dan Gurney display, naturally...


Quick note about the Aliigator ( http://www.allamericanracers.com/all...ator_home.html )
Despite to strange looking layout on the bike, the rider does not look to be uncomfortable or in an odd position while riding. I mainly saw it from the rear, but I made it a point to try and see how it looked to ride, and I dare say it looked somewhat normal.

One other item of interest, which may have been an issue with this bike only, but it seemed to be difficult to start. One stop we even had to wait several extra minutes as the owner tried to get it fired. It wasn't an issue of being cold, for sure, so I'm not sure what the deal is/was.

On to our second stop. It was finally starting to clear up and show some blue sky...



We stopped in Talladega for lunch...


While gearing up after lunch I noticed my odometer...


We made it to our stated destination without issue. Well, there was one guy who decided to ride his rear wheel for a short bit. Funny thing though...he decided to leave alone during our very first stop. Imagine that!





As you walk in, you are greeted to the right with nice sample of what's inside..



I can't begin to describe the senastion that washed over me as I tried to take in all that lay before me. This place is big. 5 floors, but only the top 4 is open to the public. I was told the bottom floor is where they do all the restoration work. As you can see here, they have a nice selection cars down there. They also had a display of outboards that I could see and wanted to check out.

The center of the building is an elevator, outlined by these racks, filled with bikes!




Several of these displays are found throughout..


A few of the more interesting examples (IMO)

A pair of BMW's that circled the globe...




Concept Chassis?


BMW scooter with seatbelts and a wiper blade?


Ride a Wankel?


Front swingarm?


Snow ride, Jim?




Sidecar for two?


A scooter/bike half-breed?




Are you qualified?


Anyone want a Harley branded DS w/ a Rotax engine? It's a 1999 model...




Don't forget your rifle!


V-Max inspired?


"Over-engineered" comes to mind, for some reason...




Belt drive, you say?





Okay, that's enough for now.


Here's the trip computer info from my GPS when I pulled into my garage that night...


I took a total of 370 pictures. I was the last guy out of the museum and just barely caught the last 2 guys as they were about to roll off. I did not have time to stop and really admire any of the bikes on display. I was basically walking and taking pictures as fast as possible, and I'm glad I did because I can now enjoy the pictures forever.

I would love to go back and spend more time. Each bike has a data sheet displayed which lists facts about the bike. I have already spent hours looking at the pictures and the details of many, many interesting bikes. The different designs in suspension and drive systems alone span an extemely wide range.


My pictures are posted here - http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...009/?start=all

There are just over 350 pictures there.
I will post more here if there is interest...or you can just go over there and see them all.



Overall, that day was excellent! The weather was nice. It was my first real "group" ride. The route was filled with sweet, twisty roads. I met some cool, new people. The museum is a "must-see" (again!).

I have no idea how I obtained the top speed listed on the GPS. Seriously. I did follow two 2 guys back on I-20, but I was in back and the pace was set at 80. I can't imagine hitting that on the back roads during the ride over and I find it hard to imagine I could hit that, being a bit of a fat ass. It is just low enough to be reasonable for the bike, however...so it's just a mystery for the day.


Oh, before I forget...here's a little video one guy took...
I'm on the 14th bike to roll past.
http://gs90.photobucket.com/groups/k...arber022-1.flv

Notice the water in the apex.
It caught a few people off guard...especially the lone cruiser.


I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the experience.